Carrier device for containers



June 23,1959 E. o. THEN 2,891,665

' CARRIER DEVICE FOR CONTAINERSv Filed Aug. 9, 1957 v '2 Sheena-sheet 1 INVENTOR.

EDWARD O. THEN ATTORNEYS June 23, 1959 E. o. THEN 2,891,666

CARRIER DEVICE 'FOR CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 9. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

j /1/ 4Z] EDWARDQTHEN AT roRNEYs ite States arent p 2,861,666 Patented J uneY 23, 195,9

CARRIER DEVICE FOR CONTAINERS Edward 0. Then, Newark, NJ., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 9, 1957, Serial No. 677,293 8 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) The present invention relates generally to devices for carrying a plurality of containers and the like and has particular reference to a one piece, rigid carrier including container coupling element and an integral handle for clamping together adjacent opposed portions of a plurality of containers for carrying them as a unitary package.

In the marketing of certain products in containers, it is often advantageous for economy, convenience and other reasons, to couple two or more containers together for sale as a unitary package. One example of such a product is fresh milk which is sold in one quart fibre containers. Since fresh milk is a rather heavy product due to its liquid character, it is more readily handled in smaller packages, such as one quart containers which can be readily connected together.

An object of the instant invention is the provision of a one piece, rigid carrier device which includes container coupling elements and an integral handle, which carrier device is readily attached to each of a pair of adjacently disposed containers in such a manner as to securely connect them together without surrounding them so as to eliminate any probability of the containers becoming loose or spreading apart.

Another object is the provision of such a one piece carrier device having an included handle which may be readily made of metal so as to withstand moisture or wetting as through icing or refrigerating of the containers.

Another object is the provision of such a one piece carrier device which may be made from small pieces of material such as recovery pieces severed from sheets from which can ends are formed on automatic presses and the like.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of a pair of juxtaposed bre milk containers coupled together for carrying as a unitary package by a one piece carrier device embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a flat blank from which'the carrier device illustrated in Fig. l, is made;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective View of the carrier device shown in Fig. l as made from the blank shown in Fig. 2, parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the position of the carrier device relative to the juxtaposed containers when connected therewith;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the carrier device connected to the containers;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a at blank for a moditied form of the carrier device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a carrier device made from the modified blank shown in Fig. 6, with parts broken away;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing the position of the modified carrier device relative to the juxtaposed containers when connected therewith;

Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged sectional views taken substantially along the respective lines 9-9, lil-10 in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional View taken substantially along a plane indicated by the lines 11--11 in Fig. 7.

As a preferred and exemplary embodiment of the instant invention, Figs. l, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings illustrate a one piece, rigid carrier device A for connecting and carrying a pair of tibre milk containers B of the character disclosed in United States Patent 2,085,- 979, issued July 6, 1937, to John M. Hothersall on Container. Such a container B comprises a rectangular body C having fiat side walls D which at their upper ends are formed with necked-in portions E and an immediately adjacent outwardly or laterally projecting end seam or ledge F which surrounds the periphery of and secures in place a flat top member G. The end seam or ledge F is utilized by the carrier device A to tie together two such containers B disposed in side-by-side or juxtaposed relation as shown in Fig. l.

In this juxtaposed relation of the containers B, two side walls D are directly opposite each other in contiguous relation and the sections of the ledges F for these side walls extend transversely of the package and are substantially coincident. The immediately connecting sections of the ledges F, disposed at right angles to the ends of the transverse sections of the ledges, extend along the two long outer edges of the package in continuing or endwise alignment and are termed the outer longitudinally aligned ledges.

The carrier device A is a one piece rigid device preferably made of sheet metal such as aluminum or tin plate and comprises a coupling member J and an integral handle K (Fig. 3). The coupling member J is interposable between two juxtaposed milk containers B in the region of the tops of the containers and is secured to the projecting ledges F. The handle K projects above the tops of the containers to facilitate carrying them as a unitary package.

The carrier device A preferably is made from a one piece ilat blank 21 (Fig. 2) which includes the coupling member J and the handle K. The coupling member I comprises a pair of spaced and parallel horizontally disposed elongated gripper or coupling elements 24 connected substantially at the mid-points by a horizontally disposed bridge or connecting member 25 having a length slightly less than the length of one of the transverse or substantially coincident ledges F. Each gripper element 24 (see also Figs. 3 and 5) preferably is an elongated U-shaped channel member having upper and lower legs 26, 27 respectively, connected by an outer wall section 28. The open side of the channel member faces toward the bridge 25 and is disposed slightly above the bridge as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.. The inner or .terminal edge of the upper legs 26 adjacent both ends ofthe gripper elements preferably areformed with inwardly and downwardly extending hook portions 31.

When the carrier device A is applied to a pair of juxtaposed containers B for securing them together in a unitary package as shown in Fig. l, the bridge 25 is disposed between the containers and in engagement with the lower faces of the two adjacently disposed parallel or substantially coincident ledges or end seams F as shown in Fig. 4. The channel shaped gripper elements 24 at the ends of the bridge 25 are engaged over and tightly crimped against the adjoining or angularly disposed or longitudinally aligned ledges F as best shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, the hook portions 31 of the gripper 3 elements 24 engaging over the inner top edge of the ledges with the inner edges of the top legs 26 pressed down against the tops G of the containers to form substantially rectangular fiat or lateral extensions 32 (Fig. to hold the coupling elements from displacement.

In this manner the bridge supports and bears most of the weight of the containers and holds the gripper elements 24 from spreading apart thus confining the containers against shifting along the bridge. Also the gripper elements 24 being tightly clamped or crimped against the outer longitudinal ledges of the containers retain the containers from movement laterally away from the bridge 25. The two containers are thus securely tied together or connected along opposing longitudinal ledges for carrying as a unitary package.

The bridge 25 preferably is reinforced to facilitate bearing of the weight of the containers. For this purpose the blank 21 from which the carrier A is formed includes a pair of anges 34 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) which extend along the outer edges of the bridge 25 and which are bent upwardly and inwardly over the top of the bridge to overlap its upper face, preferably in engagement therewith to provide a double thickness bridge.

In order to facilitate carrying of the tide together containers B, the carrier A is provided with a handle L which is formed integrally with the bridge 25, preferably as an extension of one of the reinforcing flanges 34 and is thus included in the at blank 21 as shown in Fig. 2. This handle L preferably is of inverted U or loop shape to provide a Enger opening 36. The exposed edges of U the handle are folded back on themselves as in edge curls or hems 37 as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, to provide smooth edges to prevent injury.

Thus the entire carrier device A is made in one piece from a flat blank which may be readily cut out from sheet material, preferably a waterproof material such as metal which will withstand moisture and wetting and which may be readily formed into shape to produce the rigid, one piece carrier A which includes the carrying handle.

When the carrier A is attached to the containers as explained, the handle L extends vertically upward from and at substantially right angles to the bridge 25 and projects up between and above the pair of substantially coincident ledges F as best shown in Fig. 4 so that the handle is above the tops of the containers and readily accessible for carrying the unitary package.

ln a modified form of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, l0, ll, the carrier device A is made from a blank 41 (Fig. 6) which includes two integral handle parts M, N, which are folded into position adjacent each other as shown in Figs. 7, 8, to produce a double thickness handle L which is similar in configuration to the single thickness handle L described above in connection with the preferred form of the invention. The handle parts M, N preferably are formed on opposite sides of the bridge 25 and are integral with the two oppositely disposed anges 34 on the bridge.

One of the handle parts M, N is formed with an inwardly projecting tab 42 which is bent under and upwardly against the outer face of the other handle part as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, to secure the two parts together in a unitary handle structure. As in the preferred form of the invention, the exposed outer edges of the handle parts M, N are formed with edge curls 43 to provide smooth edges to prevent injury to the user.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

i claim:

1. In a unitary package comprising a pair of 1Independent rectangular libre containers having surrounding peripheral laterally projecting ledges, said containers being disposed in juxtaposed relation with portions of said ledges arranged in transverse parallel relation and other portions of said ledges arranged in endwise longitudinally aligned relation, the combination therewith of a one piece carrier comprising a pair of elongated channel shaped rigid coupling members arranged in spaced relation and having top and bottom legs clamped over and connecting adjacent opposed portions of said longitudinally aligned ledges for securing said containers together, a rigid bridge member formed integrally with said coupling members and extending under said transverse parallel related ledges between and connecting said coupling members to hold said coupling members against lateral displacement from said longitudinally aligned ledges, and a rigid handle formed integrally with at least one of said members and extending above said ledges to facilitate carrying said package.

2. A combination of the character deiined in claim l wherein said one piece carrier is sheet metal.

3. A combination of the character deiined in claim l wherein said handle is formed integrally with said bridge member.

4. A combination of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said bridge member is provided with an integral reinforcing member and said handle is integral with said reinforcing member.

5. A combination of the character defined in claim l wherein said handle is a single thickness of material.

6. A combination of the character defined in claim l wherein said handle comprises a double thickness of material.

7. A combination of the character' defined in claim 1 wherein said handle is loop shaped and the exposed marginal edge portions of said handle arc bent back on themselves in flat hems to reinforce said handle and to provide smooth edges thereon.

8. A combination of the character defined in claim l wherein said handle is loop shaped and the exposed marginal edge portions of said handle are curled to reinforce said handle and to provide smooth edges thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,645,839 Westeriield Oct. 18, 1927 1,688,165 Tehel Oct. 16, 19255 FOREIGN PATENTS 823,159 France Oct. l1, 1937 

